Posts tagged North Europe

Letters from the Kingdom of Sweden: Nationalmuseum, the greatest Art Treasure in the Heart of Scandinavia!

Adventure Travel 4 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of extraordinary trips, I hope you are well and ready for a new adventure on the Mr.M blog. Today’s post will be the last post for the month of July (sorry for the confusion that I made with the previous post) and also the last letter in the series of posts from Sweden.

Before I start today’s post, I would like to remind you of some of the previous posts from the edition of letters from the Kingdom of Sweden, so if you haven’t had time to read the previous stories or maybe you want to remind yourself of some interesting details, spare a few minutes of your time and by clicking on the following links, visit some of the previous travelogues from Sweden:

1) Stockholm: A Modern Green City of Culture on the Water

2) Everything you need to know about the Royal Palace in Stockholm

3) Vasa, The Story of the sunken legendary luxurious warship…

Today I will share with you my impressions of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and I would like to thank the Visit Stockholm for the invitation and the amazing experience to get to know the culture and customs in the heart of Scandinavia.

The Nationalmuseum (National Museum of Fine Arts) is the central Swedish state museum in Stockholm, and also the largest Swedish art museum. The collections of this extraordinary art treasure house consist of various works of painting, sculpture and art on paper from around the 16th century to the 20th century, as well as arts and crafts and design objects from the 16th century to the present day. The total number of exhibited works reaches an incredible figure of almost 700,000 objects. The National Museum is located on Blasieholmen in Stockholm in a building designed for this purpose by the German architect Friedrich August Stühler. The building was completed in 1866, but the museum’s history is older than that and goes back to June 28, 1792, when the Royal Museum was founded. The National Museum is therefore one of the oldest art museums in Europe.

The collections were moved to Blasieholmen after previously being partially housed in the Royal Museum, which opened in 1794 in the north wing of the Royal Palace in Stockholm. As with several other national art museums, the collections are largely based on generations of royal collectors, which for various reasons passed into state ownership. For example, works that belonged to Gustav Vasa can be seen today in the Nationalmuseum.

The museum’s activities also go outside the box, so you can see certain works outside the building on Blasieholmen. The National Museum also includes a collection of portraits of the Swedish state exhibited in Gripsholm Castle. In addition, objects from the museum’s collections are exhibited in a number of museum institutions throughout Sweden.

This museum has a long history and I will try my best to briefly explain some of the most important historical moments related to this institution. In the early history of the National Museum, as with several other European national galleries, the history of the National Museum is largely synonymous with the development of royal, state and more widely available collections. In Sweden, the foundation for today’s state art collections was laid in the 18th century. Several works included in the collection of the National Museum, for example a part of French paintings from the 18th century were once owned by Queen Louisa Ulrike. By 1777, the queen’s financial situation had become unsustainable, partly as a result of a large and expensive investment in art. The debts were settled by her son, the then Swedish king Gustav III, in exchange for her giving up her collections and Drottningholm Castle.

For today’s Nationalmuseum, it is important that the king did not use his own financial means, but the state’s, which prevented the collections from being dispersed during the succession. It is likely that state funds were also used when Gustav III, after the death of his father Adolf Frederick, acquired several works of art, including Chardin’s Tecnarin. At the same time, the king also made an important acquisition of the collection of drawings by Carl Gustav Tessin that Adolf Fredrik had bought from him in 1755. The collection of drawings was immediately donated to the Royal Library, but was then transferred to the Royal Museum when it opened in 1794.

How did that transformation from a royal art collection to a state museum take place? There are no official records that can explain to us what Gustav III intended with his museum arrangement. It was believed that he was targeting a publicly accessible institution, but recent research has shown that there is no reliable evidence for this. It should be remembered that the significance of making something available to the public was somewhat different then than it is today, which is why it is believed that the royal museum would have become a private matter, accessible to those who could be considered competent. Regardless of Gustav III’s intentions, the Royal Museum was founded on June 28, 1792, just three months after the king’s death.

At that time, they did not have prepared rooms for exhibitions, and the work on the building was not finished after the king’s death. The transfer of the artistic heritage was carried out in December 1792 and was of great importance for the future of the museum. During the work on the registry office, the significance of the financial resources (state or private) used by the king for the acquisition of art collections was highlighted. At that time, there were no firm laws governing what was considered the king’s private property and what was state property.

Through the transfer of inheritance, all the king’s art collections became state property. In this way, the king’s art collections became the property of the people, but only later would they become fully publicly available.

The first decades of the 19th century were an extremely difficult period for the museum. The lack of interest combined with very little resources bordering on non-existent meant that the work was kept alive by the energy of the museum’s dedicated staff. The lack of funds made new acquisitions largely impossible. At the same time, many of the great museum collections in Europe were created at this time thanks to an aggressive acquisition policy, supported by more concerned courts and the bourgeoisie. From 1817 the Royal Museum did receive an annual grant from the State, but this was insufficient for anything more than the maintenance necessary to save the collections from total decay. However, the donations saved the museum because they legitimized the museum as its own authority.

However, rather poor economic conditions made it difficult for the first part of the 19th century to pass completely uneventfully. The most significant thing that happened at that time was the large acquisition of sculptures by Johann Tobias Sergel in 1815. After Sergel’s death, the Royal Museum was able to acquire all the sketches of plaster and terracotta sculptures that were part of his work.

It can be said that the acquisition and installation of Sergel’s sculptures marked a turning point in the exhibition activities of the museum because it represents both classicism and indigenous art. Because, at the same time when the Sergel collection was presented to the public in artistic Sweden, voices were raised who wanted to shift the focus from classicism to domestic and nationally oriented art. In this context, it may be noted that in 1818, King Carl XIV Johan commissioned from Bengt Erland Fogelberg colossal sculptures representing the gods Asa Oden, Thor and Balder. They will later be placed in the Royal Museum.

Later in the 19th century, painting will have a more significant place in museum activities, as can be seen from the documentation on the drastic changes initiated by the museum director. The director took the museum into the 19th century in a completely different way with a new color scheme, associated above all with the Danish and German Biedermeier, and the exhibitions were arranged in a modern way for that time, from the classically oriented Enlightenment principle to the provoking imagination, romantically suggestive exhibition aesthetics.

The 20th century brought certain innovations, so the department of modern art was founded in 1952. The first exhibition was a tour of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica in October 1956, when the renovation of the museum was completed, the facility was named “Moderna Muzeet”, which was officially opened on May 9, 1958. Until 1975, the Modern Museum was a subdivision of the National Museum.

Later, the Modern Museum became a unique separate institution, which together with the Nationalmuseum and the East Asian Museum was part of the joint body Statens konstmuseer. When the Modern Museum became an independent institution in 1999, the Statens konstmuseer changed its name to the Nationalmuseum from Valdemarsudde Prins Eugen. At the same time, the East Asian Museum was transferred to the newly formed State Museum of World Culture. A few years ago, in 2017 to be exact, Valdemarsudde became an independent foundation again, and the authority has since been called the Nationalmuseum.

A large number of works in the museum’s collections come from the royal collections of many generations. From the gallery of Gustav Vasa’s paintings that were in Gripsholm Castle, it is possible to identify with certainty several paintings that are now in the National Museum. Gustav Vasa’s collection consisted mainly of works of art by Northern European painters.

Of the works with a past in royal ownership, many were acquired on the background of various personal preferences, but also several examples of objects that came to royal collections in the 17th century as war booty.

A large part of the works that today are considered to form the core of the Nationalmuseum’s collection of paintings before 1800 mainly come from several collections: Karl Gustav Tessin, Queen Lovisa Ulrike, King Adolf Fredrik and Gustav III. However, several of the most important works in the royal collections were acquired through Tessin in various ways.

These collections were dominated by French, Dutch and Gustavian Swedish painting, which greatly influenced the composition of the National Museum’s collection as it looks today. Several of the museum’s Rembrandt works are owned by these people, as well as other important works from 17th-century Holland and some from Flanders from the same period.

One ff these four collectors, Carl Gustaf Tessin undoubtedly had the greatest importance, not least because a large part of the collections of Adolf Fredrik and Lovisa Ulrike ended up there under his care. At the age of nineteen, Tessin went on a grand tour during which he stayed in Paris between 1714 and 1716. He would later return several times, but during this first visit he acquired a large number of master drawings and 23 so-called contre-epreuves by Antoine Vato and met several artists of that time.

Later, Tessin returned to Paris, now in better financial conditions as he was appointed overseer responsible for the building of a castle in Stockholm, succeeded his father and married a wealthy heiress. He now acquired paintings by artists such as Francois Lemoine, Francois Desport, Nicolas Lancrat and Jean-Baptiste Pater.

However, he did not buy anything from Watteau, whom he held in high esteem. The explanation for this can be seen in the fact that the artist has now passed away and that Tessin has concentrated on living artists and that the prices of Watteau’s works have risen. Being in Paris also meant buying art in the name of building a castle. From Paris he traveled to Venice to try to negotiate a contract with Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, but without success.

Later, in 1739 Tessin returned to Paris again, where the art scene behaved differently with the re-established salon from 1737. During this visit, he focused on François Boucher and Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, acquiring among others Boucher’s Triumph of Venus, which was shown at the Salon of 1740. Tessin also made several purchases of Dutch paintings on the Paris market, mostly through the art dealer Edme – François Gersen. Among those works, Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Young Woman in Profile and Constantin Verhout’s Sleeping Student are significant.

Until 2013, when the Nationalmuseum building on Blasieholmen in Stockholm was closed for renovations, several temporary large exhibitions were shown annually. Some examples were Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Design by Sigward Bernadotte, Terribly Beautiful, Deceit the Eye, Pre-Raphaelites, Caspar David Friedrich, Rubens and van Dyck, Concept Design, The Shape of Time, and Slow Art. In the gallery of engravers, smaller exhibitions with works mainly from their own collections are shown.

The museum borrows a large number of works for exhibitions in other museums in Sweden and abroad. In the Nationalmuseum, research is carried out on the basis of its own collections as a starting point, as well as its own publishing activities.

The Nationalmuseum also has a picture archive. The museum is also in charge of the Art Library, which is one of the largest art libraries in the Nordic countries and is a joint library of the Nationalmuseum and the Modern Museum.

The museum has a department for conservation, photography and art management with orientations according to the objects of each collection. The department works on the preservation of objects and cooperates with the Department of Collections and Research on technical research.

The Nationalmuseum manages, in whole or in part, the collections of objects in a large number of visitor destinations throughout the country. These include, for example, Drottningholm Castle, Gripsholm Castle, Ulriksdal Castle, Nines Castle, Lacko Castle, Lovstabruk Castle, Vadstena Castle and the Gustavsberg Porcelain Factory. The Orangery Museum in Ulriksdal Castle and the Museum de Vries in Drottningholmsmalmen preserve the central parts of the museum’s sculpture collection. Since 2018, the National Museum has a branch in Ostersund – the Jamtli National Museum.

Until July 1, 2017, Prins Eugens Valdemarsudde belonged to the competent National Museum with Prins Eugens Valdemarsudde. The authority (now called only the Nationalmuseum) falls under the Department of Culture. The association of friends of the Nationalmusei vanner museum was founded in 1911 by the then Crown Prince Gustaf (VI) Adolf and over the years has made a significant contribution to the museum’s collections.

The Nationalmuseum in Stockholm was closed on February 3, 2013 for renovations. The museum was in need of extensive restoration and renovation, as the building was badly worn from heavy use. Several technical systems in the museum have reached their useful life.

The Nationalmuseum reopened on October 13, 2018, and the opening ceremony was personally performed by King Carl XVI Gustaf in the presence of members of the royal family, Minister of Culture Alice Bach Kunke and thousands of visitors. The museum’s exhibition space has been expanded and can now accommodate twice as many visitors and display almost three times as many works of art. In addition to the technical update, previously blocked windows and skylights have been opened to create more daylight and views towards the city. The noisy restaurant got a better, quieter location and was replaced by an airy and quiet sculpture garden. The museum has restored a color scheme inspired by the original palette.

My dear travellers, we have come to the end of the fourth and at the same time last special post from the Letters from the Kingdom of Sweden, which would not have been possible without the selfless help of the Visit Stockholm in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Swedish culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Sweden.

Time always flies when a person is having a good time! A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis of COVID-19.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to cooperate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual city in Scandinavia in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm? Have you had the chance to visit the heart of Scandinavia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT ME page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

With love from Stockholm,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Visit Stockholm, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from The Kingdom of Sweden: Vasa, the Story of the sunken legendary luxurious warship…

Adventure Travel 3 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unique trips, I hope you are well and ready for new adventures! This is the last post for this month and I wanted to share with you an unusual legend about a luxurious Swedish warship, the Vasa.

Before I start today’s post, I would like to remind you of some of the previous posts from the edition of letters from the Kingdom of Sweden, so if you haven’t had time to read the previous stories or maybe you want to remind yourself of some interesting details, spare a few minutes of your time and by clicking on the given links, visit some of the previous travelogues from Sweden:

1) Stockholm: A Modern Green City of Culture on the Water

2) Everything you need to know about the Royal Palace in Stockholm

Today I will share with you my impressions of the Vasa Museum and the legend of this amazing warship and I would like to thank the Visit Stockholm for the invitation and the amazing experience to get to know the culture and customs in the heart of Scandinavia.

I think the older generations remember the legend of a magnificent warship that was supposed to show power and strength with its beauty and luxury, but sank after traveling 1300 meters from the port… How this ship went from being a great shame to the pride of Sweden, we will discover together in today’s post on the Mr.M blog.

Vasa or Wasa is a famous Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship sank after sailing approximately 1,300 m on its maiden voyage on August 16, 1628, at dusk.

Since the Vasa was one of the most expensive ships of all time with modern war equipment and exquisite craftsmanship, you must be wondering what went wrong?

Many questions were asked: Was the ship properly prepared for the wind? Was the crew sober? Is the ballast properly stored? Were the weapons properly secured? However, no one was ready to take the blame. The crew members and the shipbuilders formed two groups and each of them tried to blame the other and all of them swore that they had performed their duty without fault and during the investigation the details of the stability demonstration were revealed.

Then attention was focused on shipbuilders. “Why did you make a ship so narrow, so bad and without enough bottom that it capsized?” the prosecutor asked the shipbuilder Jakobson. Jakobson stated that he built the ship according to the instructions of the master shipbuilder, who in turn followed a specification approved by the king himself. Jacobson actually widened the ship by about half a meter (50 cm) after he took over construction, but the construction of the ship was too far advanced to allow further expansion.

In the end, no culprit could be found. Arent de Groot’s answer, which became legendary, when asked by the court why the ship sank was “Only God knows”. Gustav Adolf approved all the measurements and armament, and the ship was built according to the instructions and loaded with a certain number of guns. In the end, no one was punished or found guilty of negligence, and the blame practically fell on Henrik Hibbertsson.

Some research today has shown that the Vasa sank because it had very little initial stability, which can be thought of as resistance to heeling under the action of wind or waves acting on the hull. The reason for this is that the distribution of mass in the hull structure and the ballast, guns, cargo and other items loaded onto the ship add too much weight to the ship. The center of gravity is too high, so it takes very little force to capsize the ship, and there isn’t enough righting moment, the force that tries to force the ship back into an upright position.

The reason the ship has such a high center of gravity is not because of the cannons. They weighed slightly more than 60 tons or about 5% of the total displacement of the loaded ship. This is relatively light weight and should be manageable on a boat of this size. The problem is in the hull construction itself. The part of the hull above the waterline is too tall and too heavily built for the amount of hull in the water. The headroom on the decks is more than necessary for the crew members who were on average not quite 1.70 meters tall and therefore the weight of the deck and the weapons they carry is more above the waterline than necessary. In addition, the deck beams and their supporting timbers are oversized and spaced too closely together for the load they carry, thus adding too much weight to the already tall and heavy superstructure.

This ship spent 330 years submerged and there were several attempts to bring the wreckage to the surface. The ship was salvaged with a mostly intact hull in 1961. It was housed in a temporary museum called Vasavarvet (“Vasa Shipyard”) until 1988, and then moved permanently to the Vasa Museum in the Royal National City Park[ in Stockholm. The ship is one of Sweden’s most popular tourist attractions and has been seen by over 35 million visitors since 1961. Vasa became a universally recognized symbol of the Swedish Empire.

The ship was built on the orders of the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated in the war with Poland and Lithuania (1621–1629). She was constructed at the Stockholm Naval Shipyard under contract to private entrepreneurs and armed primarily with bronze cannons cast in Stockholm. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king’s ambitions for Sweden and himself, when completed she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However, Vasa was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper hull structure. Despite this lack of stability, she was ordered out to sea and sank just minutes after encountering a breeze stronger than a breeze. The order to sail was the result of a combination of factors. The king, who commanded the army in Poland at the time of her maiden voyage, was anxious to see Vasa take the place of flagship of the reserve squadron at Alvsnabben in the Stockholm Archipelago. At the same time, the king’s subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship’s problems or to delay the maiden voyage. The Swedish Privy Council organized an investigation to find those responsible for the disaster, but in the end no one was punished.

During an investigation of the wreck in 1961, marine archaeologists found thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people in and around Vasa’s hull. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannons, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six out of ten sails. The artifacts and the ship itself have provided scholars with invaluable insight into the details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and daily life in early 17th-century Sweden. Today, the Vasa is the best-preserved ship from the 17th century in the world and also the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The Vasa wreck is continuously being monitored and researched on how to best preserve this historical specimen.

What does Vasa look like as a wreck and what is left? The Vasa has four preserved decks: the upper and lower gun decks, the storeroom and the orlop. Due to the constraints of preparing the ship for conservation, archaeologists had to work quickly, in 13-hour shifts during the first week of excavation. The upper gun deck was heavily disturbed by various salvage projects between 1628 and 1961 and contained not only material that had fallen from the rigging and the upper deck, but more than three centuries of harbor debris.

The decks below are less and less destroyed. The decks contained not only gun carriages, three surviving cannons and other items of a military nature, but were also the places where most of the sailors’ personal belongings were placed at the time of the sinking. This included a wide variety of scattered finds, as well as crates and barrels of spare clothing and footwear, tools and repair materials, money, privately purchased groceries and all items of daily use. necessary for life at sea.

Most of the objects found are made of wood, which testifies not only to the simple life on board, but also to the generally unsophisticated state of Swedish material culture at the beginning of the 17th century. The lower decks were primarily used for storage, so the hold was filled with kegs of provisions and gunpowder, coils of anchor cable, iron shot for guns, and some officers’ personal belongings. On the orlop deck, a small compartment contained six of the ship’s ten sails, spares for rigging, and working parts for the ship’s pumps. Another compartment contained the ship’s carpenter’s belongings, including a large tool chest.

After the ship itself was salvaged and excavated, the site of the loss was thoroughly excavated during 1963–1967. This produced many pieces of rigging as well as structural timber falling off, particularly from the bill head and stern castle. Most of the sculptures that decorated the exterior of the hull were also found in the mud, along with the ship’s anchors and the skeletons of at least four people. The last item mentioned was a nearly 12 meter long boat, called an esping in Swedish, found lying parallel to the ship and believed to have been towed by Vasa when it sank.

The Vasa Museum is something you must not miss when you come to Stockholm. There are various exhibitions in the museum with different themes such as life on board and its historical context. The film about you is shown in different languages. There is also an audio guide in different languages, which visitors use on their mobile devices. The museum has free Wi-Fi internet. In addition, there is a well-stocked shop and a pleasant restaurant for lunch and fika (a wonderful and unusual Swedish custom that you must try). It is important to note that admission to the museum is free for children under 18 years of age.

My dear travellers, we have come to the end of the third special post about the legendary luxurious Swedish warship Vasa, which would not have been possible without the selfless help of the Visit Stockholm in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Swedish culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Sweden.

Time always flies when a person is having a good time! A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis of COVID-19.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to cooperate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual city in Scandinavia in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Royal Palace of Stockholm? Have you had the chance to visit the heart of Scandinavia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT ME page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

With love from Stockholm,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Visit Stockholm, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

SHARE THIS POST

Letters from Sweden: Everything You need to know about The Royal Palace in Stockholm…

Adventure Travel 4 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unique trips, I hope you are well and ready to continue our adventure in the heart of Scandinavia and the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden – Stockholm. As I promised you in the previous post, in the following posts I will share with you some more detailed information about certain sights that caught my attention and that I am sure will intrigue you. Today’s post will be dedicated to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, as well as the royal complex.

If by any chance you didn’t have time to read the first travelogue about Stockholm on the Mr.M blog or you want to remind yourself of some details, take a few minutes of your time and visit the post on the following link.

Today I will share with you my impressions of the Royal Palace in Stockholm and I would like to thank the Visit Stockholm for the invitation and the amazing experience to get to know the culture and customs in the heart of Scandinavia.

Before I start my story about the Royal Palace today, I think we should get to know the members of the Swedish Royal Family better. Since 1818, the Swedish royal family has consisted of members of the Swedish royal house of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. Today, those recognized by the government are entitled to royal titles and perform official duties and ceremonial state duties. The extended royal family consists of other close relatives who are not directly from the royal family and therefore do not officially represent the country.

Throne room – “Hall of State”

The Swedish royal family, closely related to the head of state, could be identified as having existed since the 10th century AD, with more precise details added during the two or three centuries that followed. An exception is the case of Saint Bridget, who became known outside of Sweden as the Princess of Nericia, which seems to have been a noble and not a royal title, since she was not the daughter of a king. Historically confirmed monarchs are officially listed by the Swedish Royal Court.

Until the 1620s, the Swedish provinces were granted as territorial appanages to royal princes who, as their dukes, ruled semi-autonomously. Beginning with the reign of Gustavus III, and as codified in 1772, the provincial duchies existed in the royal family only as nominal non-hereditary titles, without any inherent ownership or trust in them, although several members of the royal family maintained a special public connection with and sometimes secondary residence in “his or her duchy”.

The son of the Swedish king usually held the princely title as a royal dynast (such as Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland), but on rare occasions also as a noble rank (such as Fursten Prince Friedrich William of Hessenstein), or as a courtesy to a former dynast ( such as Prince Oscar Bernadotte).

The Swedish Royal Court lists the following persons as members of the Royal House:

1) King Carl XVI Gustaf (born in 1946)
2) Queen Silvia (King’s wife, born in 1943)
3) Princess Victoria, Duchess of Västergotland (King’s elder daughter, born 1977)
4) Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergotland (son-in-law of the King, born in 1973, husband of Princess Victoria)
5) Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland (granddaughter of the King, born in 2012, daughter of Princess Victoria)
6) Prince Oscar, Duke of Scone, (grandson of the King, born in 2016, son of Princess Victoria)
7) Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Vermland (the king’s only son, born in 1979)
8) Princess Sofia, Duchess of Vermland (King’s daughter-in-law, born 1984, wife of Prince Carl Philip) 9) Prince Alexander, Duke of Södermanland (King’s grandson, born 2016, son of Prince Carl Philip)
10) Prince Gabriel, Duke of Dalarna (king’s grandson, born 2017, son of Prince Carl Philip)
11) Prince Julian, Duke of Halland (King’s grandson, born 2021, son of Prince Carl Philip) 12) Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Halsingland and Gastricland (King’s younger daughter, born 1982) 13) Princess Leonora, Duchess of Gotland (granddaughter of the King, born in 2014, daughter of Princess Madeleine)
14) Prince Nikola, Duke of Angermanland (king’s grandson, born in 2015, son of Princess Madeleine)
15) Princess Adrienne, Duchess of Blackingham (granddaughter of the King, born in 2018, daughter of Princess Madeleine)
16) Princess Margareta, the King’s first sister, born in 1934
17) Princess Desiree, Baroness Silfverschiold (the King’s third sister, born in 1938), widow of Baron Niclas Silfverschiold.
18) Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnusson (King’s fourth sister, born in 1943), married to Consul General Tord Magnusson.
19) Marianna Bernadotte (born 1924), widow of the king’s uncle Sigvard Bernadotte.
20) Princess Birgitta, Princess of Hohenzollern (the King’s second sister, born in 1937), widow of Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern.

Queen Silvia

Now that we’ve been introduced to the royal family, it’s time to learn a little more about the royal complex.

Stockholm Palace or Royal Palace is the official residence and main royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palace is located on Stadsholmen in Stockholm. It is located near the Riksdag building. The offices of the King, other members of the Swedish royal family and the Royal Court of Sweden are located here. The palace is used for representative purposes by the king while performing his duties as head of state.

This royal residence has been in the same location by Norström in the northern part of Gamla stan in Stockholm since the mid-13th century when Tre Kronor Castle was built. In modern times the name refers to a building called Kungliga Slottet. The palace was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and was built on the same site as the medieval Tre Kronor Castle which was destroyed by fire on 7 May 1697.

Due to the costly Great Northern War that began in 1700, the construction of the palace was stopped. In 1727, construction continued six years after the end of the war. When Tessin the Younger died in 1728, the palace was completed by Carl Harlemann who also designed much of its Rococo interior. The palace was not ready for use until 1754, when King Adolf Frederik and Queen Louise Ulrika moved in, but some interior work continued until the 1770s.

No major changes have been made in the palace since its completion, only some adaptations, new interiors, modernization and remodeling for various regents and their families, coloring of facades and addition of palace museums. The palace is surrounded by Lejonbacken and Norrbro to the north, Logarden and Skeppsbron to the east, Slottsbacken and Storkirkan to the south, and the outer courtyard and Hogvaktsterrassen to the northwest.

As of 2009, the interior of the palace consists of 1,430 rooms. The palace contains apartments for royal families, representatives and ceremonies such as the State Apartments, Guest Apartments and Bernadotte Apartments. More features are the State Hall, the Royal Chapel, the Treasury with the regalia of Sweden, the Livrustkammaren and the Tre Kronor Museum in the remaining basement vaults from the former castle. The National Library of Sweden was housed in the northeast wing, Biblioteksfligeln (Library Wing), until 1878. Since 2014, it houses Bernadotte’s library. The Slottsarkivet is located in the wing of the office.

The palace houses the offices of the Royal Court of Sweden, a workplace for about 200 employees. The Royal Guard guarded the palace and the royal family since 1523. A comprehensive renovation of the facade began in 2011 to repair weather-damaged sandstone sections. The Royal Palace is owned by the Swedish state through the National Property Board of Sweden, which is responsible for the management and maintenance of the palace, while Stathallarambet (Office of the Governor of the Royal Palaces) administers the royal right to dispose of the palace. The palace belongs to the crown palaces in Sweden which are at the disposal of the King and the Royal Court of Sweden.

Artists such as Jean Eric Rehn and Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander were important to the magnificent interior of the palace during the late 18th and 19th centuries, when pilasters, columns, wall decorations and other details were added. Among those sculptors, painters and craftsmen who also contributed to the later renovations were Louis Masreliez (interior work in classicism and neoclassicism), Jean Baptiste Masreliez (interior work), Akel Magnus Fahlcrantz (Logarden wall and wrought iron fence in Logarden), Johann Niclas Bistrom (sculptures), Sven Scholander (restorations), Johan Akel Vetterlund (facade sculptures of prominent people and four allegorical groups on the Logarden wall), Julius Kronberg (paintings on the ceiling) and Kaspar Schroder (facade sculptures on the court lion mask facade).

Major changes to the facade were made during the reign of King Charles XIV John, which resulted in the repainting of the Harlemann light yellow color of the facade and in the early 20th century during the reign of King Oscar II when the decision was made to return Tessin to the original.

During the reign of King Oscar I, there was a renewed interest in the older styles and when the Vita Havet (White Sea Ballroom) was created to the design of Per Akel Nyström in 1844–1850, a compromise was made between the old and the new. Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander was the royal curator to King Charles XV and shared his taste in interior design, resulting in rooms such as the Victoriasalongen (Victoria Salon) in the exuberant revived Rococo style.

King Oscar II carried out numerous additions, improvements and modernization of the palace. Most of the empty facade niches during his reign were filled with sculptures. He gave an update on the technical installations of the palace, such as the installation of water pipes in 1873, electricity installation in 1883, telephone in 1884 and water central heating around 1900.

Since 2014, the property has been connected to district heating. The king’s interest extended to the decoration of the staircase, and he commissioned Julius Kronberg to paint the ceilings on the ceiling of the West Staircase. Author Georg Svensson wrote about King Oscar II that “his goal was to complete the construction of the palace according to Tessin’s plans in a manner worthy of this monument.”

During 1922 to 1930, Lawgarden was rebuilt from a former English park into a more open area with pools of water on either side of the promenade leading from the East Arch to Skepsbronn.

From 1956 to 1958, the Gustav III Museum of Antiquities was restored. The architect and chief intendant Ivar Tengbom was appointed for the works. The Treasury was opened in 1970, and the Tre Kronor Museum in 1999. 4 years ago, in 2018 to be exact, nearly 600 solar panels were installed on the roof of the palace and are expected to generate an annual output of 170 MWh or at least twelve percent of the palace’s annual electricity consumption.

According to data from 2014, the Royal Palace has 1,430 rooms.

Basement: There are 104 rooms in the basement, most of which were used as storerooms and prisons. The remains of the old Tre Kronor Castle are visible there. Certain parts of the basement are divided into two basement floors because of the large differences in headroom in the different parts. A royal wine cellar could be found under the west range in the late 1800s and 1900s, and is most likely still there.

The ground floor is the highest floor of the palace. The rooms there were mainly used by the court staff, and there are four portals (or arches) that form the entrances to the palace, as well as the State Hall and the Royal Chapel.

The middle floor or mezzanine has 115 rooms. Most of the rooms have retained their size since the construction of the palace, but their use has varied. The name is derived from the fact that the floor is only half as low as the other floors. The rooms were mainly used by the court staff, but there were also apartments of princes and princesses. In the mezzanine there is also a small apartment for guests, which consists of several rooms in the northern part of the western row.

The first floor has 67 rooms. The rooms have mostly kept their size since the palace was built, but their use has varied. The Bernadotte Apartments and the Hall of Pillars are located in the north row, and the east row has private rooms. King Carl XVI Gustaf and his family lived here until they moved to Drottningholm Palace in 1981.

The second floor has 57 rooms. Most of the rooms have retained their size since the construction of the palace, but their use has varied. Guest Suites, State Suites with Vita Havet Ballroom (White Sea), Cabinet Meeting Room and Prince Bertil Suite are on this floor.

The attic, has about 25 rooms, as well as the upper part and the arches that form the ceiling for the State Hall, the Royal Chapel and the southern staircase. The attic is mainly used for storage.

Treasury

Within the royal complex there are several separate museums that you can visit, namely: Royal Apartments with apartments for their guests, Treasury, Three Tre Kronor Museum, Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities, Royal Chapel, Royal Armory Museum. Depending on your interests you can visit the museums that you think suit you, but I can tell you that each of them is special and unique, so you should visit each of them if you have enough time.

The Royal Palace in Stockholm is the official residence of His Majesty the King and is also the site of the monarchy’s official receptions, open to the public throughout the year. This unusual combination of a royal residence, a workplace and a cultural and historical monument open to visitors all year round makes the Royal Palace in Stockholm unique among European royal residences.

The palace contains many interesting things that are worth seeing. In addition to the royal apartments, there are three museums steeped in royal history: the Treasury of Regalia, the Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) museum which depicts the medieval history of the palaces, and the Gustav III Museum of Sculpture and Antiquities. During the summer months, the Royal Chapel is also open, as well as Ridarholmen Church – the royal burial church five minutes’ walk from the palace, for which a combined ticket is available.

Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities

My dear travellers, we have come to the end of the second special post about the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden, which would not have been possible without the selfless help of the Visit Stockholm in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Swedish culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Sweden.

Time always flies when a person is having a good time! A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis of COVID-19.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to cooperate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual city in Scandinavia in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Royal Palace of Stockholm? Have you had the chance to visit the heart of Scandinavia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT ME page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

With love from Stockholm,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Visit Stockholm, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from The Kingdom of Sweden: Stockholm, a Modern Green City of Culture on the Water

Adventure Travel 7 Comments

My dear travels and lovers of unique trips, welcome to a new adventure on the Mr.M blog! Today I have prepared for you a symbolic gift for summer and the beginning of July – the first travelogue in a series of posts about the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden – Stockholm.

I have always wanted to visit this country, as I am fascinated by the Scandinavian culture and way of life, so I wanted to visit the heart of Scandinavia – Stockholm. We all have our own associations for certain destinations, but Stockholm is special, a city that can hardly be described in just 3 terms, but I tried to put my thoughts together and came up with the following terms: Swedish Royal Family, Nobel Prize and Acne Studios . Those are my associations for Stockholm, I just saw that there is another important association – Green City.

Today I will share with you my impressions of this unusual city and I would like to thank the Visit Stockholm for the invitation and the amazing experience to get to know the culture and customs in the heart of Scandinavia.

The Swedes have a special respect for the cult of nature and are an extremely healthy nation, some researches that have been conducted have shown that the Swedes are one of the happiest peoples in Europe. Because they care about a healthy lifestyle and their environment, they make all their efforts to protect their environment and take care of sustainability in every sector.

Stockholm is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, built on a lake and meeting the sea, on fourteen islands and with eight centuries of rich history and culture, it is one of the most beautiful cities in Northern Europe. Sectors such as fashion, technology, music, film, design and the gaming industry are experiencing incredible growth. Stockholm is a place where creativity grows and where many dreams come true and new ideas are born. Most important of all is the fact that Stockholm is a city with an open heart for everyone!

Stockholm is also one of the most environmentally friendly cities in Europe and an international model of global environmental and climate action. Five decades after the 1972 UN Conference in Stockholm, which created the link between the environment and poverty and put it at the forefront of the international agenda, Stockholm welcomed the world again in June 2022 for the conference “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for prosperity for all of us – our responsibility and our opportunity.”

Sweden is known for its design, amazing architecture and special approach to the fashion industry. Scandinavian design is known for mixing minimalism and functionality with style and innovation. Stockholm definitely remains the epicenter of Swedish design and is one of the best in the world when it comes to design and sustainability. Apart from the basic aspiration to make something well-made and attractive, design in Stockholm tends to be practical and applicable.

Each designed piece serves as a building block that can be mixed and matched with other design elements. From solid to bright pastel prints and heavy traditional patterns, fabrics also play an important role in the city’s design culture. All Stockholm designs are available for everyday practical use and there are a variety of high quality designs at different price points to suit everyone’s budget.

Historically, Swedish architects have been heavily influenced by movements and styles from abroad. But due to their geographical location, these cultural flows arrived later and evolved into something uniquely Swedish in style. When Art Deco came to Sweden in full force, it transformed into Nordic classicism to satisfy everyone’s taste and restore balance. Swedish tastes and functionalism grew into its Swedish offshoot “funkis”.

Modern Swedish architecture, both commercial and residential, is characterized by sustainability in harmony with nature. New projects are planned to work in accordance with environmental protection, and a lot of attention is paid to building materials that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly. This has produced some truly spectacular projects.

When talking about the fashion sector, there are numerous success stories in Sweden from brands such as Acne Studios and Stutterheim to the newer fashion favorites of today such as Totême and Rodebjer. Swedish fashion always tries to introduce and connect many talented designers to the fashion world.

Also, not to forget, some major representatives of street fashion brands such as H&M and other brands Weekday, Monki, COS, Other Stories and Arket which are also popular brands that have won the hearts of people around the world. The novelty of some brands is that your gender should not dictate what you can wear. An example of this is the Swedish brand Hope, which for example was the first to apply the philosophy of making unisex clothes that look stunning and fantastic regardless of gender.

When we talk about fashion in Stockholm, it is very important to mention one fashion temple that you must visit when you come to the capital of Sweden. Nordiska Kompaniet (abbreviation NK) is the name of a department store located in Stockholm, and there is another one in another city in Sweden – Gothenburg.

This department store in Stockholm is visited annually by about twelve million visitors, and its history is almost 120 years long, and it is also the first department store that was opened in this area. This department store is home to many international well-known global fashion brands and you can also find many well-known Scandinavian brands as well as up-and-coming designers.

Stockholm is the cultural, media, political and economic center of the Kingdom of Sweden. The Stockholm region alone accounts for more than a third of the country’s GDP and is among the top 10 regions in Europe in terms of GDP per capita. Rated as an alpha-global city, it is the largest in Scandinavia and the main center for corporate headquarters in Northern Europe. The city is home to some of the best universities in Europe, such as Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm School of Economics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University.

Stockholm is also known for hosting the annual Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall. One of the most respected museums in the city, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia. The Stockholm subway, opened in 1950, is well known for the decoration of its stations, it is also known as the longest art gallery in the world.

Now we come to the most important part for all travelers and the answers to the famous questions: What to see in Stockholm? What should not be missed?

Stockholm is a wonderful city, rich in various cultural contents and I am sure that this city will meet all your expectations. In today’s post I will try to briefly give you some tips and guidelines on what you should visit in the capital of Sweden and show off your newfound knowledge to your friends! Some of the mentioned sights in today’s post, I will describe in more detail in the following letters from the Kingdom of Sweden, so don’t worry about the details! ?

The first stop that I consider important for getting to know Stockholm and the Kingdom of Sweden in general is a visit to the Royal Palace complex located in the heart of the Old Town. To get to the royal complex from the city center, it is enough to have comfortable shoes and from the NK department store to the royal complex is only a 5-10 minute walk! You will enjoy the beauty and greenery of the city’s parks and exceptional architecture, and you will see why Stockholm is said to be one of the most beautiful green cities on the water.

Within the royal complex there are several separate museums that you can visit, namely: Royal Apartments with apartmens for their guests, Treasury, Museum of the Three Crowns, Museum of the Gustav III Sculpture Collection, Royal Chapel, Museum of the Royal Armory. Depending on your interests, you can visit the museums that you think suit you, but I can tell you that each of them is special and unique, so you should visit each of them, if you have enough time.

In the following posts, I will pay more attention to certain sights, so that you will get more information and learn more details, so that you will go to visit the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden with excellent foreknowledge!

The Royal Palace in Stockholm is the official residence of His Majesty the King and is also the site of the monarchy’s official receptions, open to the public throughout the year. This unusual combination of a royal residence, a workplace and a cultural and historical monument open to visitors all year round makes the Royal Palace in Stockholm unique among European royal residences.

The palace was built in the Baroque style and has more than 600 rooms spread over eleven floors with the state apartment facing the city and smaller living rooms facing the inner courtyard. The palace contains many interesting things that are worth seeing. In addition to the royal apartments, there are three museums steeped in royal history: the Treasury of Regalia, the Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) museum which depicts the medieval history of the palaces, and the Gustav III Museum of Sculpture and Antiquities.

During the summer months, the Royal Chapel is also open, as well as Ridarholmen Church – the royal burial church five minutes’ walk from the palace, for which a combined ticket is available.

Not far from the Royal Palace, there is the Nobel Prize Museum. The main objective of this museum is to spread knowledge and create interest and discussion about natural sciences and culture through creative learning, exhibition techniques and modern technology.

The Nobel Prize Museum illustrates a century of creativity, where visitors can trace the changes of the 20th century through the Nobel Prize and Nobel Prize winners. Explore the work and ideas of more than 900 creative minds represented through short films, original artifacts and computers. The Nobel Prize Museum is located in the heart of Stockholm, in the Old Town.

Be inspired by ideas that have changed the world. The Nobel Prize Museum contains all the essential information about the most prestigious prize in the world, Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize winners. Self-guided tours are possible, as well as guided tours. Aids such as films and various objects take you from idea to Nobel banquet. The bistro serving lunch, Nobel’s Ice Cream, is also able to order meals from previous banquets, but there is a long waiting list for that type of service, as well as much more. This is a museum worth visiting when you find yourself in the Old Town.

The next stop that could help you see art trends and art in Sweden and Scandinavia. The Nationalmuseum is a Swedish museum of art and design. The National Museum is also a government body with a mandate to preserve cultural heritage and promote art, interest in art and knowledge of art. The collections include paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from 1500-1900. and applied art, design and portraits from the early Middle Ages to the present day.

After several years of renovation and modernization, the Nationalmuseum – Sweden’s main museum of art and design, reopened its doors in 2018. The new space is tailored, quite literally, to highlight the museum’s vast collection of classical art. Entrance to the museum is free, except for certain guest exhibitions. In one of the following posts, I will take you through the current exhibitions that are currently in the museum.

Now is the time for a museum that marked the history of Sweden – the Vasa Museum is a maritime museum. Located on the island of Djurgarden, the museum displays the only almost completely intact 17th-century ship ever to be salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The Vasa Museum was opened in 1990, and according to official information, this museum is the most visited museum in Scandinavia. Together with other museums such as the Stockholm Maritime Museum, it belongs to the Swedish National Maritime Museums (SNMM).

There are various exhibits around the ship ranging from topics such as life on board and its historical context. The film about you is shown in different languages. There is also an audio guide in different languages, which visitors use on their mobile devices. Free entry for children up to 18 years old. In one of the next posts, I will write a little more about this ship and why it is very important for Swedish history and culture.

When we’re done with the cultural part of the tour of Stockholm, it’s time to have some fun, so I heard that there’s a popular amusement park in Stockholm and I went to see what kind of atmosphere there was!

Gröna Lund (literally translated “Green Grove”) or known locally as Gronan is the most famous amusement park that was founded in 1883 in the capital of Sweden. Located on the sea side of the island of Djurgarden, it is relatively small compared to other amusement parks, mainly due to its central location, which limits expansion. This interesting park has over 30 attractions and is a popular concert venue during the summer.

Gröna Lund has most of the attractions common to amusement parks, such as the Tunnel of Love and seven roller coasters. Gröna Lund is also known for hosting rock and pop music concerts. The park is easily accessible by tram number 7, bus 67 and by ferry from the city center. Its central location allows visitors to see large parts of Stockholm from higher attractions.

As we visited some interesting museums and entertainment venues, you could see through the pictures that Stockholm is one colorful city on the water. There are a number of tourist boats with which you can see the beauty of Stockholm from the water. In addition, if you use a transport ticket, there are also boats that are used as public city transport, so you can also get to know Stockholm that way.

As I said at the very beginning of this post, Stockholm is a unique city that is impossible to describe in a few words, it is a city that is open to everyone and should be experienced in its own way.

My dear travelers, we have come to the end of this special post about the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden, which would not have been possible without the selfless help of the Visit Stockholm in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Swedish culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Sweden.

Time always flies when a person is having a good time! A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis of COVID-19.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to cooperate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual city in Scandinavia in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about green Stockholm? Have you had the chance to visit this part of Northern Europe so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT ME page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

With love from Stockholm,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Visit Stockholm, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Lithuania: Vilnius, the Pearl of the Baltic you will love!

Adventure Travel 3 Comments

My dear adventurers and lovers of unusual journeys, I sincerely hope you are well and ready for a new adventure on the Mr.M blog. Today we continue our adventure in the capital of Lithuania – Vilnius and discover some new details and beauties of this charming city.

If by any chance you missed the previous story about Vilnius or want to remind yourself of some details, take a few minutes of your time and visit this link.

Before I start today’s post, I would like to thank the Vilnius Tourism Board for this amazing experience and for having the opportunity to visit the pearl of this unusual Baltic country in northern Europe!

In the previous post, I showed you a part of the Castle Complex in Vilnius and we saw what secrets the Grand Duke’s Palace hides. Today we continue our tour of the city and take you to another part of the complex. The Palace of the Grand Duke and the Cathedral in Vilnius formed a complex of castles and have been located next to each other for centuries, but the interesting thing is that these two buildings have completely different history.

Numerous scientists have found some evidence that in pre-Christian times on the site of today’s city of Vilnius, the pagan god Perkunas was worshiped. Numerous historical writings reveal that the King of Lithuania Mindaugas built the original cathedral in 1251 as the place of his baptism in the Christian rite. After Mindaugas’ death in 1263, the cathedral was restored to its original cult of worshiping pagan gods.

At the end of the 14th century, more precisely in 1387, when Lithuania formally accepted Christianity, another Gothic cathedral with five chapels was built. Unfortunately, in 1419, that cathedral was completely destroyed in a fire. In its place, Vytautas The Great built a larger Gothic cathedral. A century later, the cathedral was renovated, and written sources mention the bell tower for the first time. It is believed that the bell tower was built on the site of the defensive tower of the Lower Castle at the beginning of the 15th century. After the great fire in 1530, the cathedral was rebuilt, and from 1534 to 1557 more chapels and crypts were added.

During this period, the cathedral acquired architectural features associated with the Renaissance. After the fire of 1610, it was rebuilt and two front towers were added. It has been renovated and decorated several more times.

The Cathedral of Vilnius is a shorter formal name, while the original name of this sacral building is the Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and Ladislaus of Vilnius. This is also the main Roman Catholic cathedral in Lithuania. It is located in the Old Town of Vilnius, not far from the Cathedral Square. Dedicated to Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, this church is the heart of Catholic spiritual life in Lithuania.

The coronations of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania took place in this sacral building. Many famous people from Lithuanian and Polish history are buried in the crypts and catacombs, including Vytautas the Great, his wife Anna, his brother Sigismund, his cousin Švitrigaila, St. Casimir, Alexander Jagiellon and two wives of Sigismund II Augustus: Elizabeth of Habsburg and Barbara Radziwill. The buried heart of the Polish king and Grand Duke of Lithuania Wladislaw IV Vasa rests here, although the rest of his body is buried in the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow.

The interior of the cathedral is adorned with more than forty works of art dating from the 16th to 19th centuries, including frescoes and paintings of various sizes. During the restoration of the cathedral, the altars of the presumed pagan temple and the original floor, set during the reign of King Mindaugas, were discovered. In addition, there were the remains of the cathedral built in 1387. A fresco from the end of the 14th century, the oldest known fresco in Lithuania, was found on the wall of one of the underground chapels of the cathedral.

During the Soviet regime, the cathedral was initially turned into a warehouse. Masses have been celebrated again since 1988, although the cathedral at that time was still officially called the “The Gallery of Images”. In 1989, it was restored to the status of a sacred religious building.

Vilnius Cathedral – entrance to the Chapel of St. Casimir

A historical event that marked history is the coronation of the young heir to the throne and future king of Poland, Sigismund II Augustus, who was crowned Grand Duke of Lithuania in the cathedral in 1529. After another fire in 1610, the cathedral was rebuilt, and two front towers were added. The cathedral was damaged again in 1655, when Vilnius fell into the hands of Russian troops in the Russo-Polish war between 1654 and 1667. years. The cathedral has been renovated and redecorated several times.

Chapel of St. Casimir

Between 1623 and 1636, on the initiative of Sigismund III Vasa, and later completed by his son Wladislaw IV Vasa, a baroque chapel of St. Casimir was built from Swedish sandstone, the royal architect Konstantin Tenkal was in charge of its construction. Its interior was reconstructed in 1691–1692 and decorated with frescoes by Michelangelo Palonius, an altar and stucco by Pietro Perti. This chapel contains sculpted statutes of the kings of Jagiellonia and an epitaph with the heart of Wladislaw IV Vasa. More than anything else in the Cathedral, this chapel symbolizes the glory of the Polish-Lithuanian Union and common history.

Between 1786 and 1792, three sculptures of Kazimierz Jelski were placed on the roof of the Cathedral in Vilnius – Saint Casimir on the south side, Saint Stanislaus on the north and Saint Helena in the center. These sculptures were removed in 1950, and restored and returned in 1997. It is assumed that the sculpture of St. Casimir originally symbolized Lithuania, the sculpture of St. Stanislaus Poland, and the sculpture of St. Helena holding a 9 m cross represents the true cross of faith. Later, in 2002, work officially began on the renovation of the Palace of the Grand Duke, which is located behind the cathedral itself. The newly erected palace building significantly changed the appearance of the cathedral.

The Cathedral and Bell Tower were thoroughly renovated in the period from 2006 to 2008. The facades are covered with fresh multicolored paint, which greatly improved the appearance of this sacral building. It was the first renovation since Lithuania’s independence in 1990.

I did not miss the opportunity, regardless of the weather conditions, to capture the moment when I visited such an important building as the Vilnius Cathedral. Now we will see a little what the streets of the capital of Lithuania look like and what you can visit from the museum, if the road leads you to unusual Vilnius!

Pilies Street (literally “Castle Street”) is one of the main streets in the Old Town of Vilnius. It is a rather short street, which stretches from the Cathedral Square to the Town Hall Square. Of the several locations across Vilnius used by market vendors to sell goods by local artists, Pilies Street is the most popular.

It has a natural advantage over the Town Hall Square because the street is very busy and it is less likely to be disturbed by political or cultural events that are usually held in the Town Hall.

Pilies Street

A large number of tourists and locals visit this street to buy gifts for the holidays, such as Christmas or to visit friends before going abroad. The market is also popular among souvenir hunters. Souvenir shops offer amber dishes and jewelry, as well as unique clothes. The street is also known for the “Kaziukas” fair, when folk artists from all four parts of Lithuania gather to exhibit and sell their best products.

Vilnius City Hall

As the capital, Vilnius has been the art center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for centuries and has attracted artists from all over Europe. The oldest works of art that remain from the early Gothic period (14th century) are paintings dedicated to churches and liturgy (eg frescoes in the crypts of the cathedral in Vilnius, decorated books of hymns).

Wall paintings from the 16th century were also discovered in Vilnius (for example, painting the vaults of the Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard or in the Church of St. Nicholas). Gothic wooden, mostly polychrome sculptures were used to decorate the altars of churches in Vilnius. Some Gothic seals from 14-15. centuries have remained to this day (Kestutis, Vytautas the Great, Sigismund II Augustus).

The period of Baroque flourishing that began at the end of the 16th century was exceptional for Vilnius because wall painting flourished in the city. Most palaces and churches were decorated with frescoes that were characterized by bright colors, sophisticated corners and dramatic style. During this period, secular painting also spread – representative, imaginative, epitaph portraits, battle scenes, politically important events.

This type of painting is characterized by a detailed realistic style. Sacral architecture is dominated by sculptures of this period (tombstones with sculptural portraits, exterior and interior decorative sculptures), made of wood, marble and stucco.

The gate of the Basilian monastery where the poet Adam Mickiewicz was imprisoned for fighting against the Russian government

Italian sculptors were extremely important in the development of sculptures of the Grand Duchy in the 17th century and were invited there by the Lithuanian nobility. Their works are characterized by the features of mature baroque: expressiveness of form, sensuality, atectonic composition (eg sculptural decoration of the church of St. Peter and Paul). Domestic Lithuanian sculptors emphasized the decorative features of the Baroque, and the expressiveness and emotionality of the Baroque was less characteristic in their works.

There are many prominent art galleries in Vilnius. The largest art collection in Lithuania is housed in the Lithuanian Art Museum. In one of its branches, the Vilnius Gallery of Paintings in the Old Town of Vilnius, there is a collection of Lithuanian art from the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century. On the other side of Neris, the National Art Gallery has a permanent exhibition on 20th century Lithuanian art, as well as numerous exhibitions on modern art. The Center for Contemporary Art is the largest place for contemporary art in the Baltic States, with an exhibition space of 2400 square meters.

The Center is a non-collectible institution dedicated to developing a wide range of international and Lithuanian exhibition projects, as well as presenting a wide range of public programs including lectures, seminars, performances, film and video screenings and new live music events.

Užupis Republic near the Old Town, once one of the most neglected districts of Vilnius during the Soviet era, is home to a movement of bohemian artists, who run numerous art galleries and workshops. Užupis declared itself an independent republic on April 1, 1997. In the main square, a statue of an angel blowing a trumpet stands as a symbol of artistic freedom.

Užupis Republic is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Užupis means “behind the river” or “other side of the river” in Lithuanian and refers to the river Vilnia, the name Vilnius is derived from the name of the river Vilnia. The district has been popular with artists for some time and many cities compare it to Montmartre in Paris and Freetown Christiania in Copenhagen, precisely because of its bohemian and laissez-faire atmosphere. On April 1, 1997, this district declared itself an independent republic (Republic of Užupis), with its own constitution.

The most interesting thing is that in 2015, a project was realized – Vilnius Talking Statues. Eighteen statues across Vilnius communicate with visitors in multiple languages via a phone call to new smartphones.

If you want to learn something new about the incredible capital of Lithuania, the best address to start your journey is the Vilnius Museum. This is a new space for locals and tourists to learn more about the capital of this unusual Baltic country. Opening its doors for the first time in the spring of 2021, the Museum presents unique, and unknown, but still current, views of the city and the stories it tells.

This museum is dynamic in itself, with constantly changing exhibitions, like Vilnius itself, the Museum plans to set up two or three exhibitions each year, based on original studies of urban life. This museum is dedicated exclusively to Vilnius and invites visitors to take a closer look at the city and discover something unexpected in its premises.

Another museum you can visit is the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights. This museum includes the former office of the Deputy Chief of the KGB Internal Prison on the first floor of the museum includes an exhibition of documents, photographs, maps and other objects depicting the Sovietization of the region in 1940-1941. years, as well as prison cells.

Exhibition dedicated to the guerrilla war of 1944-1953. years where you can get to know the territorial structure and military organization of guerrilla units, the aspirations of freedom fighters, their daily activities and daily life. The fight of the NKVD-NKGB against the armed resistance was revealed at the exhibition Unfair Fights.

On the second floor of the museum, there is an exhibition dedicated to the imprisonment of Lithuanians in gulags from 1944 to 1956, deportations from 1944 to 1953 and KGB activities from 1954 to 1991.

My dear travelers and adventurers, we have come to the end of this special second post about Vilnius, today you saw the most famous symbol of Lithuania and Vilnius – Vilnius Cathedral, which would not have been possible without the selfless help of the Vilnius Tourism Board in cooperation with local partners. Of course, as always, I tried to share my impressions of this unusual experience from Lithuania.

If you are planning a visit to the capital of Lithuania, try to get a Vilnius Pass, with which you can explore this magical city for less money. Even if you decide to visit Vilnius for only a day, two or three days, Vilnius Pass will help you make the most of your trip.

Time always flies when a person has a good time! A man is rich at heart if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad to always be able to find partners for my projects that help me discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis COVID-19.

I am honored to have the opportunity to work with companies that are at the top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Baltic country in North Europe in a completely different way.

How did you like this story of mine about my experience in Vilnius? Have you maybe had the opportunity to visit Lithuania before? Share with me your experiences, I would be glad to hear!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write to me below in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you in the same place in a couple of days, with a new story!

Warm greetings from Lithuania,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Vilnius Tourism Board. This post presents my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Lithuania: Vilnius, a City of Rich History and Fairy-tale Architecture…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travelers, welcome to the new adventure on the Mr.M blog. Today we start a series of new posts about the largest Baltic state in northern Europe – the Republic of Lithuania. I must admit that I felt great pleasure and happiness when I published the first Instagram story from the airport when I asked you to guess where I was going with one small hint that I would complete my adventure in that region with this trip.

Many of you have listed Latvia and Estonia with the assumption that I went to Lithuania this time. I am glad to have such a wonderful community that has been building an online travel diary with me, such as Mr.M.

Before I start with a travelogue about the capital of Lithuania, I would like to introduce you to an interesting brand of luggage and travel accessories with which you will feel the comfort and beauty of travel! I believe that you remember this navy backpack from one of the previous fashion stories and I believe that the FPM Milano brand is not unknown to you, but let’s remind ourselves of some details for people who did not manage to read my one of my previous fashion stories.

This exclusive Italian brand of leather goods and luggage was founded in 1946. This brand is an artistic expression of the best Italian talent and aesthetics, as well as excellent expertise. Traditional handmade with the use of top materials, today is combined with innovations of avant-garde metals and modern design.

FPM Milano luggage and accessories offers travelers convenience and style, all in one suitcase and backpack. Designed by Marc Sadler, these lightweight, aluminum-reinforced suitcases are inspired by antique suitcases, specifically designed to give you the endurance you need when traveling. The combination of Avante-Garde materials and motifs of Italian design, give these FPM suitcases a robust and safe look.

In today’s post I present you a backpack from the Bank on the Road collection, as well as Bank Spinner 53 cabin suitcase from the Bank collection, both collections are made entirely in Italy, ideal for people from the business world and for those who want to enjoy maximum in their leisure and leisure time, designed to satisfy every practical, functional or aesthetic need. The convenient internal pocket allows you to charge your tablet and smartphone anytime, anywhere. Modern, elegant line of ranches, made of high quality and waterproof nylon with special attention to leather and metal details. The aluminum personalization is reminiscent of the innovative creativity of the FPM Bank collection.

If you want to be updated and find out which models of suitcases and travel accessories the FPM Milano brand has in its offer, visit their official online store and follow them on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.

It is time to start this first travelogue about the capital of Lithuania, so let’s see what is hidden in the heart of this unusual northern European country. Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe, which consists of 3 countries: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This country lies on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, geographically Lithuania borders Latvia in the north, Belarus in the east and south, Poland in the south and the Kaliningrad region of Russia in the southwest.

Also, this country has a maritime border with Sweden in the west on the Baltic Sea. Lithuania covers an area of about 65,000 km2, with a current population of almost 3 million. The main and largest city is Vilnius, while the other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipeda. Lithuanians belong to the Baltic ethno-linguistic group and speak Lithuanian, one of only a few living Baltic languages.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Vilnius Tourism Board for the wonderful welcome, as well as the content program that helped me get to know this exceptional city in a completely different way.

How will “Letters from Lithuania” be organized? Due to a better understanding of Lithuanian culture and history, I decided to dedicate the first post to the first part of the Castle Complex in Vilnius – the Palace of the Grand Duke. This complex is extremely important for the history of this largest Baltic state, which was created with a rich history, and that is why I thought it best to introduce you to the Palace of the Grand Duke first.

The castle complex in Vilnius is a group of cultural and historical buildings on the left bank of the Neris River, near its confluence with the Vilnius River. The buildings, which were built and constantly modernized between the 10th and 18th centuries, were one of the main defense structures of Lithuania.

The complex consisted of three castles: Upper, Lower and Crooked Castle. The crooked castle was burned by the Teutonic Knights in 1390 and was never rebuilt. The castles of Vilnius were attacked several times by the Teutonic Order after 1390, but they failed to occupy the entire complex. His complete capture took place for the first time during the Battle of Vilnius in 1655. Soon after, heavily damaged castles lost their significance, and many buildings were abandoned. During the Imperial Annexation, several historic buildings were demolished; many more were damaged during the construction of the fortress in the 19th century.

Today, the remaining Gediminas (Crooked Tower) is the main symbol of the city of Vilnius and the nation itself. Every year, on January 1, the Lithuanian tricolor is raised on Gediminas’ Crooked Tower in memory of Flag Day. The complex is part of the National Museum of Lithuania, one of the largest museums in the country.

The Palace of the Grand Duke in the Lower Castle has evolved over the years and architecturally advanced during the 16th and mid-17th centuries. The palace has been the political, administrative and cultural center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for more than four centuries. In the 13th and 14th centuries, there were stone constructions inside the palace, and a large number of archaeologists believe that there was also a wooden palace. The stone Royal Palace was built in the 15th century, apparently after the great fire of 1419.

The existing stone buildings and defensive structures of the Lower Castle that blocked the construction were demolished. The royal palace was built in the Gothic style. The flag of the Upper Castle, as well as the Royal Palace, was to host the coronation of Vytautas the Great. The Gothic palace had three wings, some archaeological research suggests that it was a two-story building with a basement.

The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Alexander, who later became King of Poland, moved his residence to the Royal Palace, where he met with the ambassadors. He ordered the restoration of the palace. After his marriage to the daughter of Moscow’s Grand Duke Ivan III, the royal couple lived and died in the palace.

Sigismund I the Old, after his ascension to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, conducted his affairs in the Royal Court as well as in the Vilnius Cathedral. During the reign of Sigismund, the palace was significantly expanded in order to meet the new needs of the Grand Duke – another wing was added, as well as the third floor, and new gardens were added. The plan for the reconstruction of the palace was probably made by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Berrecci da Pontassieve, who also designed several other projects in the Kingdom of Poland. In this palace, Sigismund the Old welcomed the envoy of the Holy Roman Empire, who in 1517 introduced Sigismund to his second wife, Bona Sforza.

Sigismund’s son Sigismund II Augustus was crowned Grand Duke of Lithuania at the Royal Court. Augustus continued to develop the palace and lived there with his first wife Elizabeth of Austria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, who now rests in Vilnius Cathedral. Sigismund II’s second wife, Barbara Radziwill, also lived in the palace. According to modern reports from the Holy See’s envoys, the Royal Court at the time contained more treasures than the Vatican. Sigismund II also compiled one of the largest collections of books in Europe.

The palace was remodeled in the Renaissance style in the 16th century. The plan was prepared by several Italian architects, including Giovanni Cini da Siena, Bernardino de Gianotis Zanobi and others. The palace was visited by Ipolito Aldobrandini, who later became Pope Clement VIII. Another great development took place during the reign of the Vasa family. The royal court was renovated in the early Baroque style during the reign of Sigismund III Vasa. Mateo Castello, Jacopo Tencala and other artists took part in the 17th century renovation.

During the reign of the Vasa family, several important ceremonies were held in the palace, including the wedding of Duke John, who later became King John III of Sweden, as well as the sister of Sigismund Augustus – Catherine. The first opera in Lithuania was set up in the palace in 1634. Marco Sccachi and Virgilio Puciteli were an opera impresario.

After the Russian invasion in 1655, the state began to weaken, which negatively affected the Royal Court. The palace was badly damaged by the war, and its treasure was looted. After the recapture of the city of Vilnius in 1660-1661, the palace was no longer a suitable state residence and was abandoned for almost 150 years.

At the end of the 18th century, after the fall of the Polish-Lithuanian community, several families lived in parts of the ruined palace. Shortly after the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was incorporated into the Russian Empire, tsarist officials ordered the demolition of the remaining parts of the Royal Court. The palace was almost completely demolished at the beginning of the 19th century. The bricks of the former palace were sold in 1799 to a merchant from Kremenchug.

In 2000, the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) passed a law deciding to renovate the Royal Palace for the Millennium Ceremony since the first mention of the name of the Republic of Lithuania in 2009.

During my visit to the Palace of the Grand Duke, there was a special exhibition that is of great importance for Lithuania – the Children’s Armor of Sigismund Augustus.

The coronation was performed “vivente rege”, during the life of the reigning King Sigismund the Old, with the aim of ensuring a possible unhindered takeover of power, but the young prince did not have to immediately assume all the obligations of governing and governing the country. The ceremonial armor for the 13-year-old, preserved to this day, has been used in tournaments and testifies to the skill of the gunsmiths and proof of how tall Sigismund Augustus was as a teenager.

He met the taste of true power and all the troubles closely connected with it after the death of his father, Sigismund I the Elder, in 1548. Another thing is that a few years before the death of the aged king, most decisions were made by his wife or young Sigismund Augustus, who tried to expand his autonomy, especially in the hereditary Grand Duchy, where he initially sought an agreement with magnate families. He also tried to reform the management of the estates that were in the royal domain of the so-called There, the king married for the second time, and the conflict between affection and duty was, fortunately, Shakespearean, not Harlequin.

The view from the safety tower that is part of the Palace of the Grand Duke is amazing, you just have the opportunity to see Vilnius in the palm of your hand. Unfortunately, during my visit to this city, the weather forecast was not quite favorable, but it did not spoil my overall impression of this charming and unusual city.

The Palace of the Grand Duke as a museum is divided into 3 parts where you can see how the Palace has modernized over time and what it looked like during its golden age. In addition to the amazing furniture, you can also see exceptional examples of royal jewelry and take a peek at a piece of valuables that they owned in these noble families. You are probably wondering how long it takes to visit this museum, I think it takes between 2 to 4 hours, depending on your interests, physical condition and speed, to visit this Palace.

My dear travelers and adventurers, we have come to the end of this special post about the most famous symbol of Lithuania and Vilnius – the Palace of the Grand Duke, which would not have been possible without the selfless help of the Vilnius Tourism Board in cooperation with local partners. traditions. Of course, as always, I tried to share my impressions of this unusual experience from Lithuania.

If you are planning a visit to the capital of Lithuania, try to get a Vilnius Pass, with which you can explore this magical city for less money. Even if you decide to visit Vilnius for only a day, two or three days, Vilnius Pass will help you make the most of your trip.

Time always flies when a person has a good time! A man is rich at heart if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad to always be able to find partners for my projects that help me discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis COVID-19.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with companies that are at the top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Baltic country in North Europe in a completely different way.

How did you like this story of mine about my experience in Vilnius? Have you maybe had the opportunity to visit Lithuania before? Share with me your experiences, I would be glad to hear!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write to me below in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you in the same place in a couple of days, with a new story!

Warm greetings from Lithuania,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Vilnius Tourism Board. This post presents my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Latvia: One Artistic Day in Riga

Adventure Travel 4 Comments

Dear travellers, welcome to the new post! Today we continue our story in the capital of Latvia. Many people call Riga the “Pearl of the Baltic” which this city really deserves. In today’s post, I’m going to take you to one that is considered to be one of the biggest artistic treasures in the Baltic. Sometimes beauty is really only in the eye of the beholder, and I am sure that with my post today I will convince you.

In the previous post – link, we started our adventure in Riga, so if you missed to read it or you want to remind yourself about some details you should do it before you continue with reading this post.

Another beautiful morning in Riga dawned, so my photographer and I had to get ready for a special day, because an exciting day was waiting for us. Everything was organised by our organizers of this unusual trip and without which this project would not be possible – Riga Tourist Organization – Live Riga and the national Latvian airline airBaltic. This trip really changed my image of the cold Baltic, and I realized that their culture and lifestyle was somewhat similar to ours in Serbia. Of course, this journey also convinced me that the distances still somehow connect us.

On the way to the Latvian National Gallery of Art, we had the opportunity to see the largest Orthodox shrine in Riga – the “Church of the Nativity of Christ” is the largest Orthodox church in Riga, which in the Soviet era played the role of a planetarium and restaurant, but again became a sacral building where they hold regular liturgies.

When we talk about sacral structures, we can say that they represent a mirror of the society in which they were created and a reflection of the whole culture of a nation. Thus, except for religious ceremonies, the church has always served for social gatherings and has been the center of cultural life.

You can visit this magnificent building in the Esplanade Park located in the heart of Riga! The Church of the Nativity of Christ is an architectural gem and a symbol of stability, which anyone to visit who needs comfort and refuge.

As I promised you, I will now tell you more about the Latvian National Museum of Art. The collection of the largest art museum in Latvia contains more than 50 thousand works of Baltic and Russian painters and sculptors.

In addition to the basic exhibits, this museum regularly offers various temporary exhibitions. Visitors can take advantage of special educational programs and guided tours. One of the continuing exhibitions is “19th – 20th Century of Latvian Art” offers the entire history of Latvian art in the 19th and 20th centuries. The exhibition includes masterpieces by the founders of the Summer National Painting School – Wilhelms Purvitis, Janis Rozentals, Johans Valters. The new art showroom is located at -1 level, where you can always see a modern exhibition on current topics and works of modern art.

The museum is housed in a building in Riga that is of great historical importance. The building on Janis Rozentals Square 1 was designed by German architect Vilhelm Neumann and was built in 1905. It is one of the most impressive historic buildings on the boulevard and is adjacent to the Academy of Arts.

It was the first building in the Baltic to be built for museum purposes. The last reconstruction lasted almost 5 years and was completed in late 2015.

According to some historical records in 1869, it is thought that a museum was founded when the City Art Gallery was opened. In 1905 the museum was renamed the “Riga City Museum of Art”, 1940. The name was changed to “Soviet Art Museum of LSSR” in 1945 – State Latvian and Russian Art Museum of LSSR, 1964 – Museum of Art of LSSR.

In 1987, the museum was renamed as the “National Museum of Art”, and in 1995 it was given the name that we all know today – the “Latvian National Museum of Art“. Initially, the museum consisted mainly of works by foreign artists from several private collections. Wilhelms Purvitis, director of the museum from 1919 to 1940, made it possible to collect works by renowned Latvian authors.

The concept of the oldest art stage in Latvia was created by local German painters Johann Heinrich Baumann, Johann Leebereht Eggin, Alexander Heibel and others. The special collection of Latvian artists (late 18th – first half of the 20th century) includes more than 300 artists and 3,300 works of art. This permanent exhibition gives visitors an insight into the development of Latvian art, created by the work of Karl Hoon, Karl Petersone, Julius Feder, the first Latvian art group “Dwarf” and its creator Adam Alksna.

The museum owns the largest collection of works by academician J. Feder – about 300 drawings, paintings and sketches. The museum’s collection contains large collections of paintings of national classics of Latvian art – Janis Rozentals, Vilhelm Purvitis, Johann Valter.

Also prominent are Voldemars Matveys, Jacobs Caxax, Jazeps Groswalds, Conrads Ubans, Valdemars Tone, Janis Liepins, Leo Svemps, Nikolas Strunke, Ludolfs Liberts, Janis Tidemanis, Eduards Kalnins, Karlis Miesnieks and others.

The Contemporary Art Collection combines the collections of the former City Museum of the City of Riga and the National Museum of Latvia, or both major collections of Latvian war art, as well as items from earlier collections – Friedrich Vilhelm Brederlo, Riga Art Society (Kunstverein), Latvian Association for the Promotion of Art in Latvia.

In 2018, the museum received a cultural award for the great success of the Baltic Symbolism exhibition at the Paris Museum Orsay.

If you visit Riga I think you should visit this museum, the ticket price is around 3 – 4 euros and I think you would enjoy the beauty of classical and modern art. As I said at the very beginning of this post, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think you would surely find works of art you would enjoy.

After an few hours long visit to the museum, it was time for little Mark to go and buy some presents and little things for his friends. I decided to share with you a few interesting shops in Riga where you can buy interesting gifts for your loved ones and friends.

RIIJA is a Specialized Concept Store located in the heart of Riga in the main street of Terbatas Iela, offering an eclectic range of Latvian designers’ products, from housewares and freestyle clothes to original furniture, cutlery and lighting. All products are designed and crafted by local designers, representing the label’s blend of traditional Latvian craft with a contemporary worldview. I am sure you will find something interesting, I bought jewelry for my dear ladies and it was on a good discount. You can find the address of this store in Riga at the LINK.

The next interesting store I visited was MANILLA. This is the place where huge fans of paper and pretty things and creatives meet! The Manilla shop is the result of a great love for paper and a love for paper things that you hold in your hand and cannot simply let go. Manilla is little more than a small shop in downtown Riga – a small oasis for all paper and design lovers who need to touch the surface of the paper to feel life, who can truly appreciate the warm greetings printed in a modern greeting card, who really believes it is Gift packaging is as important as its contents or planner and a notebook for them is an accessory that makes everyday life more interesting and beautiful.

Having bought everything I needed for dear people, I decided to sit on a bench in one of Riga’s many parks and enjoy the beauty of nature. Of course, for me, the only thing left is to do after I spent all of the money! Of course it is a joke, I always try to attract myself to dear people and I buy interesting gifts and I have never regretted buying some interesting gifts for people who I respect and my family.

To be honest, it didn’t even take me an hour to sit on the bench to rest. Riga is a small town, but when you are actively walking there it is normal to get tired. I was also tired of the previous trips which I had this summer, so it kind of caught up with me!

Okay, in the end I had to find some strength to continue exploring Riga. Since we had a couple of bags we decided it was best to go back to the hotel and return to a new part of town and continue our research. The picture you can see below has one interesting story…

On my way back to the hotel with heavy bags in my hands, I wanted to take pictures of the old part of town with the people on the street as it was ideal natural lighting… Of course the photographer since had a heavy backpack with two laptops (he was mine there too since I was a little scattered on trips) ) and busy hands over bags of things we bought (you’ll understand if I say that the reductions were literally 70-80% off…) and a shoulder bag.

Now imagine the scene, the photographer I threatened to rub her shoulder with, still hold one bag in my teeth, hold the camera with one hand and try to find the focus…. it’s not going… again i put the camera back on the photographer’s shoulder to zoom in better with the same hand since my bags were in my other hand. I take the camera again and the impatient photographer moves because photographer will no longer want to stay in the same place otherwise all the bags would finish in garbage bin that was on the side street next to us… well, at the end I got at least some photo, it is not perfect, but if we take in considering the situation it’s perfect!

Afterwards I met in town with my mother who enthusiastically showed me this interesting shop in the heart of the old part of Riga. I was most attracted to the advertising slogan on the store window: “Life is too short for ugly shoes.” The store is otherwise held by a funny Italian who is trying to crack classic Italian music from the store. I love the Italian mentality and their lifestyle is always “Dolce far niente! – blissful idleness or what my mother would say “The sweetness in life when your money falls from the sky and you don’t have to work.”

P.S. Mom bought the moccasins in the right angle, that are a combination of beige, light blue, and navy colors for some really symbolic price. Yes… again we bought almost a number and a half smaller shoes, but who asks when it’s a good deal! Our magical shoemaker in Serbia managed to extend them!

In the picture above you can see the oldest and narrowest street in Riga. It is so interesting, isn’t it? My dear adventurers, once again we have come to the end of our second and last blog post from Riga. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! At the end of this post, I would like to thank my friends from Tourism Board of Riga – Live Riga and airBaltic for this incredible adventure and Pullman Old Town Riga Hotel for their huge efforts to make our stay unforgettable and I felt like at home.

How do you like this story about Latvian National Gallery of Art? Have you maybe had a chance to visit Riga and to enjoy in the beauty of Latvia? I would like to share with me your experience! See you soon on some other interesting destination!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post was sponsored by Riga Tourism Board – Live Riga and the national Latvian airline company airBaltic and Pullman Old Town Hotel Riga. I also thank my friends from Sony who made it possible to enjoy in these beautiful photos made with the Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera with Sony FE 24-70 mm lense from special G Master series of professional lenses.
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Letters from Latvia: Explore Riga with airBaltic!

Adventure Travel 3 Comments

My dear travellers, how are you doing today? 2nd of September is a special day for me because that day in my calendar is marked as the happiest day in year – my birthday. I have to admit when I was younger I was not a fan of that date because that was a time when was school going to start. I always thought I was biggest jinx in the world because I was born on that day! Obviously, It was destined because I was unplanned and I came into this world exactly two months before the expected date.

What is the life… On this day twenty-something years ago, one little mumbled baby called Marko came. It’s much easier nowadays, my generation was warlike when inflation reigned in hospitals they didn’t even know what an incubator was. The nurses and the doctor who took care of me gave me the nickname “Crumb” because I was a little heavier than a loaf of bread, today the weight has changed a little! 🙂

But let me get to the topic of today’s post. A few days ago I promised you a new story and that we will explore the pearl of the Baltic, the capital of Latvia – Riga. By the invitation of the Riga Tourism Board – Live Riga and the National Latvian Airline airBaltic, little Marko and his photographer visited the capital of Latvia.

Riga for sure has marked this summer in a special way for me because it was also my last collaboration to close the “summer season” on my blog. The largest metropolis in the Baltic, Riga perfectly blends a timeless tradition and a superb modern atmosphere. In its turbulent history of almost 800 years, everyone from the German knights to the Swedish kings and Soviet commissioners left their mark, and today the capital of Latvia is an exciting European metropolis at the crossroads of Eastern and Northern Europe.

This visit would not have been possible without the help of the National Latvian Airline AirBaltic, which was one of the main partners of this project. The Latvian airline Air Baltic Corporation (airBaltic) was founded in 1995. AirBaltic is a hybrid airline that takes all the best practices from the business of traditional online airlines and low cost carriers in Europe and the world. In 2008, airBaltic changed its operating model from a carrier to a point – a network airline, making Riga a hub between east and west. AirBaltic’s main priorities are – safety, accuracy and quality of service.

Currently airBaltic operates direct flights from all capitals of the Baltic States – Riga (Latvia), Vilnius (Lithuania) and Tallinn (Estonia). AirBaltic offers convenient flights connecting North Hub Riga to its airline partner networks covering Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and the Middle East. It was a great pleasure for me to work with an airline such as airBaltic and to feel all the benefits of their business class.

As a business class traveler, you will receive outstanding service. Priority boarding, welcome drink, seating with additional free seating for more privacy, gourmet meal with three course menu, unlimited non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, the latest printed media, as well as a quick priority exit upon the end of the flight.

Riga Airport is easy to navigate, because of its size and simplicity, trust me you will get out fast and head for exploring Riga. There are several ways of transportation to the center of Riga: by public transport – by bus or taxi. Since we had the transportation provided in advance, I can tell you the prices.

One-way bus fares cost € 1.15 if you buy in advance or at the vending machine or € 2 if you pay directly with the bus driver. When we talk about taxi services you have a Baltic Taxi and a special 15 euro one way fare, so if travel in the group of 3 or 4 people go you can split the cost.

The first thing I could see through the car window was the fact that Riga was a “green” city, on all sides there were green areas, squares, parks that were unusually arranged. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but Riga at very first sight brought a smile to my face. I knew this trip was going to be another beautiful adventure.

We settled into a hotel, freshened up a bit and were ready to go. Our Pullman Old Town Riga hotel was located in the heart of the old part of town. One thing I learned from traveling is that you should always start every city tour with a tour of the old town to get to know the city better. The old part of the city always has some special energy and that is what makes each city special, just like Skadarlija, the bohemian quarter gives Belgrade some note of the beauty where the cultural “creme de la creme” of high society gathered. I would love to write some basic information about the destination itself as I always do.

Riga is the capital of Latvia with a population of just over 600,000 inhabitants which is one third of the Latvian population. Being significantly larger than other cities in Latvia, Riga is also the largest city in Latvia. It is also the largest city in the three Baltic States and home to one tenth of the combined population of all three Baltic States. The city lies on the Gulf of Rome at the mouth of the Daugava River where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former member of the Hanseatic League.

The historical center of Riga is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, known for its Art Nouveau – Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Umea in Sweden. Riga hosted the NATO Summit in 2006, the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003, the 2006 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship. An interesting fact is that almost one million tourists visit Riga every year!

There are more legends, theories about how the city got its name. One theory about the origin of the name Riga is that it is a corrupt borrowing that marks the Liv ring, and refers to an ancient natural harbor formed by the tributary of the Daugava River.

Another legend is that Riga owes its name to an already established role in trade between East and West. The English geographer Richard Hackluit in 1589 calls Rija a name, and the German historian Dionysius Fabricius confirmed the origin of Riga in 1610 from the word Rija. A third theory could be that Riga is named after Riege, the German name for the Riden River, a tributary of Daugava.

One theory is that the name Riga was introduced by Bishop Albert, the initiator of the baptism and conquest of the Livonian and Baltic peoples. He also presented an explanation of the name of the city as derived from the Latin word rigete (“irrigated”), which symbolizes “the irrigation of pagan souls by Christianity.”

The locals you see in the picture above in Riga are called the House of the Blackheads (Latvian: Melngalvju nams,) is a building located in the old part of town. The original building was built during the 14th century for the time of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, as a kind of association for the unmarried, shipowners and foreigners in Riga. The main works were made at the beginning of the 17th century, adding most of the mannerist decoration. The sculptures were made by August Volz’s workshop. The building was bombed by the Germans on June 28, 1941, and the remains were demolished by the Soviets in 1948. It was restored between 1996 and 1999 and what we have today to see is an identical replica of the original building.

Riga is an exceptional city and very organised. Besides being able to enjoy the beauty of the city and make beautiful pictures for your album, you can also do some nice shopping. In addition to the many interesting shops that have local and Baltic designers, there are plenty of outlet shops. In the heart of the city, there are at least 50 outlet shops that have different brands from street brands to some more luxurious, prestigious brands.

You should not hesitate, believe me I found such a beautiful turtleneck sweater and sweater from one brand I adore and I paid it only 35 euros, the full price would be much, much higher. That is my most sincere recommendation if you find yourself in this beautiful city.

The streets of the old town are paved with cobblestones, so it is very important to wear comfortable footwear. In the old part of Riga there are the most beautiful restaurants, museums and hotels. Most interesting to me were street musicians and artists who were entertaining the tourists. Riga is a city of culture and art, believe me in this city you have time for everything because the city is well organised and you can easily find everything that interests you.

You can see the church of St. Peter in the picture above. It is first mentioned in records from 1209. The church was built and went undamaged in a major city fire in Riga that year. The history of the church can be divided into three distinct periods: two related to the Gothic and Romanesque styles of construction, and the third to the early Baroque period. The middle part of the church was built in the 13th century, which covers the first period of construction. The only remnants of this period are found in the outer walls of the nave and on the inside of several columns in the winding, around which larger columns were later built.

During World War II, the church lost its status as an important cultural heritage – an impressive bronze candelabrum made in 1596 – which was taken by the Germans from Riga to the city of Vłocłavek and moved during the Heim ins Reich campaign to Poland. The candelabrum, called the standing lantern, was commissioned by Riga City Council from Riga Foundry Founder Hans Meyer. To give an idea of the order of size of this standing lantern it was about 3 m high and about 4 m wide.

After the war he was exhibited at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Assumption in the Vłocłavek Basilica. On March 1, 2012, this work of late Renaissance art returned to its home, as a result of an agreement on the repatriation of cultural property. An interesting fact is that the rooster statue that you can see at the top of the church weighs about 160 kg, and it’s made of gold.

Freedom Monument (Latvian: Brivibas piemineklis) is a monument honoring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence and sovereignty of Latvia. Built in 1935, 42 meters high in granite, travertine and copper, it often serves as a focal point for public gatherings and official ceremonies in Riga. The sculptures and reliefs of the monument, divided into thirteen groups, depict Latvian culture and history.

The core of the monument consists of rectangular shapes that are arranged one on top of one another, decreasing in size towards the top, complemented by a 19-meter (62-meter) high travertine pole bearing a copper figure of freedom that raises three gilded stars. The concept of the monument was first publicly announced in the early 1920s, when the Latvian prime minister ordered the conceptual designs to be drawn up and a competition for the design of a “memorial column” opened. After several public competitions, the monument was finally built in the early 1930s under the scheme “Mirdzi ka zvaigzne!” The construction work was funded by private donations.

There were already German-language theaters in Riga, which also had opera and ballet. The first attempt to create the Latvian National Opera was in 1893, when the “Spoku stunda” by Jekabs Ozols (“The Hour of the Spirits”) was performed. The Latvian Opera and Ballet (Latviešu Opera) was founded in 1912 by Pavuls Jurjans, although almost immediately during the First World War, the opera group was evacuated to Russia. In 1918, the opera was restarted (Latvia Opera) led by Jazeps Vitols, founder of the Latvian Academy of Music. The debut performance, January 23, 1919, was Wagner’s “Der fliegende Hollander”.

Since 1944, after the occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union and its incorporation into the Soviet Union, the Latvian National Opera became the Latvian S.S.R. State Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1990, the theater was renamed the Latvian National Opera, but the building was closed almost immediately until 1995 for renovation. In honor of its reopening in 1995, the first opera was Uguns un nakts by Janis Medins (Fire and Night).

My dear adventurers, once again we have come to the end of our post. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! At the end of this post, I would like to thank my friends from Tourism Board of Riga – Live Riga and airBaltic for this incredible adventure and Pullman Old Town Riga Hotel for their huge efforts to make our stay unforgettable and I felt like at home.

How do you like this story about this gem of the Baltic? Have you maybe had a chance to visit Riga and to enjoy in the beauty of Latvia? I would like to share with me your experience! In a couple of days we will continue our adventure in Riga. I will show you one art treasury, the biggest one in Latvia, so be ready! I am sure you will like it as I do. 🙂

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post was sponsored by Riga Tourism Board – Live Riga and the national Latvian airline company airBaltic and Pullman Old Town Hotel Riga. I also thank my friends from Sony who made it possible to enjoy in these beautiful photos made with the Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera with Sony FE 24-70 mm lense from special G Master series of professional lenses.
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Letters from Finland: One interesting day in Rovaniemi

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travellers, I think now is just a perfect time to read another letter from Finland. I sincerely hope that you are doing good to and you are on some vacation, whether if you have been able to travel somewhere or relax at home, vacation is a very important thing to people who works, they need to relax! First of all, I would like to thank you for the wonderful comments you sent me for the previous post, as well and the wonderful messages and questions that you send me to the Instagram about Azerbaijan.

Today on the blog we continue our adventure in Finland, but I promise you that within a few days we will officially “start” our adventure in Azerbaijan! In the previous post, you had the opportunity to meet my new furry friends – Huskies with whom I had the opportunity to hang out. If you are interested to remind a little or you have missed a chance to read my previous post from Lapland, please take time and click on this LINK.

Of course before I start today I would like to thank the team from the Rovaniemi Tourist Board – Visit Rovaniemi as well as the national Finnish airline company Finnair on this wonderful trip. This trip was an incredible experience, which I will for sure remember, for a lifetime.

Today I have set myself a special task, which is to prove that Rovaniemi and Lapland are not only the land of Santa Claus and the cute Reindeers, but that there is also something else that this area is known for. Also, some of you have sent me the questions: “Is it worth it to go to Finnish Lapland in the summer time? Is there anything special and interesting to be seen? ” In a way, for us from the Europe, Finland is one cold Northern European country and rather unexplored country, but that does not mean that it is a country where 365 days of snow and that it is only known by Santa Claus. My shortest possible answer to the previous questions would be: “Yes, there is a lot of interesting things to see!”.

To understand what I’m talking about, I think you should read this post till the end. Have you ever wondered how daily life in the Finnish part of Lapland looks like? How to live in the Arctic? What is the Arctic Circle?

To find out something new and by the way maybe to provide answers to all these questions, the first station in Rovaniemi would be the Arktikum – Science Center and Museum.

Arktikum is a science center and museum located in the center of the city and with its modern look, attract views of tourists. This is the perfect first “station” you need to visit because it will help you to get to know Rovaniemi and the Arctic area better.

The first interesting thing you will notice at the entrance to this museum is a beautiful glass dome over the main hall, and if you look better, you will see a finger-shaped dome that “shows” to the North Pole. At the Arktikum Museum, you always have interesting and educational exhibitions that are interactive, so that they have made every effort to enjoy, while discovering some new interesting facts about the Arctic.

The first exhibition which I visited was dedicated to the history of the city of Rovaniemi, as well as the regions themselves. In addition, you have the opportunity to learn about Saami people. Saami are indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic region of the Sapmi, which includes today’s space of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola peninsula in Russia. They are the only remaining autochthonous people of the European Union who lived in Lapland even before the national borders were established and their history was nearly 7,000 years old.

In addition, you can find out a lot of historical facts related to Rovaniemi, such as what happened to the city after the Second World War, as well as the remaining animal and plant species found in this region.

Rovaniemi, like the whole of Lapland, had an interesting history. The city developed until the Second World War when it was literally completely destroyed, and after that the city was completely rebuilt out of the ashes again. Only a few objects have “survived” the attack, and one of them is the building of today’s Korundi, a gallery of modern art. I promise that I will write about this art gallery about this extraordinary treasury of contemporary art.

It is believed that this region was a settlement 7,000 years ago, when the first representatives of the Saami people who came to these area. They developed some basics of the exchange of goods, which were just the roots of some trade systems that we know today.

In my head it goes like this: “Buyer: Hello, can I get these boots for 4 salmons? Seller: It’ ok! (or seller wants to bargain and raise the value of his goods).

This exhibition is really incredible because you have the opportunity to experience the cold Arctic in another way and just to see that life is happening there in a similar way as it was in other parts of Europe and the world.

Of course, in addition to learn more about the progress of society, you also realize that nature is also the most important thing which need to think about and take care. This region has an extremely rich herbs world and Arctic animal breeds.

I personally saw one beautiful owl and some other animals in just one day, but that does not mean you will not meet a wolf or a polar squirrel. Who knows, everything is possible!

I must admit that the Arktikum was one of the most interesting museums that I had the opportunity to visit in my whole blogging career. It’s simply incredible how much a person can learn something new and useful through some interesting exhibitions in the museum.

Lapland is a place where you can find some reindeers and mooses more than people! (of course that is one local joke) I am sure that this land has more than one species of these deers than dogs, and this is a sign that nature is in the strong connection with the people in Lapland.

After the story of the history of this city, as well as of the entire Arctic region, you continue your journey to the second part of the Arktikum museum, where there is an exhibition that explains some of the natural phenomena.

In this part of the world, there are known natural phenomena that occur in various seasons. For example, in the winter, polar light appears. Today, this is just a beautiful colours on the pictures on Instagram, but in some past times people were afraid of this incredible phenomenon.

There are more legends, but one of the most interesting is the myth of Polar Fox. “When the winter comes, the fox can’t be calm, she jumps through the sky, and with the tip of her tail, she forms certain parts, and thus, those unreal rays of green color appear in the sky. It was not a good sign, ghosts are not happy! ”

The natural phenomenon I must admit most of all is the phenomenon known as “Midnight Sun” that occur in the summer months from the beginning of June to the middle of July, and during that period the Sun does not go down at all.

Imagine seeing the sun at midnight or at 1 o’clock in the morning… Oh yes, there is no sleeping at all! I think that this part of the world is ideal for us bloggers, because we can work literally 24 hours a day, just to take photos of our outfits and finally little Marko can finish all the work on time! ?

In addition to these famous phenomena, you can find out more about the effect of “Greenhouse Effect” and the problem of the melting of ice on the poles. These are extremely huge problems and we have to treat them all as humanity if we want to survive.

Nature helps us, we can help her and continue the normal flow, and we all live in harmony with nature. So we need a little bit of happiness, why should we ruin it all?

Well, after we have a little thought about our current state as humanity and if we have awakened the consciousness, I think that it requires a cultural upbringing. If you remember, I mentioned to you that Rovaniemi during the Second World War had literally been destroyed and that a couple of buildings had survived the attack.

One of these buildings is today’s building, which is home of the Korundi Modern Art Gallery. Korundi is a real treasury, where you can find exclusively some master-pieces of modern art.

A few years ago, Rovaniemi city administration has decided to help young artists and encourage their work. For some time they thought how to help develop creativity and keep young hopes and Korundi opened its doors to all young artists.

As an ordinary observer, who really does not understand the true value of these works, I enjoyed conversation with my guide, who was trying hard to explain their way of working.

New art workshops were opened, young artists opened their art schools, and I had the opportunity to see how a young artist taught some seniors how to develop their talent for painting, completely free!

I thought that artist can not live normally, but it seems that it’s just about how much consciousness is developed about the need for art. Maybe I do not know the value of all these artworks, but I realised that I was staying in front, while I was sitting and watching some kind of modern art, I was calm down in some unusual way.

Maybe I do not understand art, but that does not mean that I can not understand how to enjoy their beauty. Still the beauty of the work itself is in the eye of the observer.

My day in Rovaniemi was fulfilled and I did not feel any special tiredness, I think this was a form of educational vacation where I learned a lot of new things that I was interested in, so maybe that’s why I’m excited as I write this post now.

Of course, this blogger must have something to eat, so I received a recommendation from the Rovaniemi Tourism Board to try some local cuisine in Rakas restaurant. My photographer only love this part of our trips when we are going to eat, so the team from the tourist board and the restaurant itself wanted to prove their culinary skills…

My photographer is more of a type of “meat” lover person, but I decided to eat some vegetables this time because this blogger got a little weight up, so there was something wrong with the jeans, so I had to go on the diet.

My dear travellers, once again we have come to the end of our post. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! At the end of this post, I would like to thank my friends from Visit Rovaniemi for this incredible adventure and Arctic Light Hotel for their huge efforts to make our stay unforgettable and I felt like at home.

How do you like this post about Lapland? Have you ever visited Rovaniemi? Have you maybe had a chance to visit Finland before? I would like to share with me your experience!

In a couple of days we will continue our adventure in Lapland, and I will introduce you with the most beloved man in the world – Santa Claus! I can’t wait to share all those beautiful photos with you. Stay tuned!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post was sponsored by Visit Rovaniemi Tourist Board and the main partners of this project Finnair National Finnish airline company and Arctic Light Hotel. I also thank my friends from Arktikum Science Centre and Museum, Korundi Art Gallery, Rakas Restaurant and my friends from Sony who made it possible to enjoy in these beautiful photos made with the Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera with Sony FE 24-70 mm lense from special G Master series of professional lenses.
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Letters from Finland: Last Call for Helsinki

Adventure Fashion Outfit Post Travel 3 Comments

My dear travellers and fashionistas, today I have prepared for you a special treat, because I realized that I missed to share with you one fashion-travel story from Finland. This post will also be the real ending of my incredible adventure that I experienced in the capital of Finland – Helsinki. For those who first read my blog and want to learn more about Helsinki, read the previous posts on this link, I’m sure you will love this lovely city in Northern Europe and will dissolve your heart.

Some people say that memories are not so important and after some time they will disappear from our memory… I disagree with this because I am sure that all the beautiful things that happened to us, all journeys and important memories remain in our subconscious and only is the question of the moment when our mind will again decide to remind us of those same nice moments! ? Since my adventure in Finland, it’s been a couple of months ago, but I still remember the crazy wind that was blowing during our last day in Helsinki.

I would like to back again there, before I start with today’s post I would like to say huge thank you to wonderful Elisabeth from My Helsinki and that I was the part of amazing #MyHelsinkiResidence project. Also, I would like to say thank you to all partners of this project and I hope we will work again soon!

I remember well that we took photos of this same outfit for two days because of the wind and I managed to make some nice pictures for this post, but I completely forgot about these pictures because after Finland I quickly got sick, and the trip to Cyprus followed up after and I completely has forgotten about these pictures. A couple of days ago, a boy from Bosnia and Herzegovina sent me an e-mail that he saw a nice black jacket in the first post from Helsinki, but he did not find a fashion post from Finland with that same jacket and he sent my picture in that black jacket as attachment.

After reading the email, I was not lazy, so I opened my blog and started looking for a post with this black jacket, so I realized that I actually forgot to post these pictures… Helsinki, a cold city with a warm heart was the perfect city for taking pictures of this fashion combination.

I am from those people who think that black colour looks much better on other persons than me and I have always tried to avoid black and grey colours. My mom who always had a great influence on my fashion taste and style always said one and the same sentence: “Marko, my dear child black is not the right colour for you… You are guy with the darker shade of hair, the black colour looks much better on blond person. Simply black on black, it doesn’t go so easily! “. That’s why I’ve always tried to not wear black clothes, maybe I used to have some black trousers, but I was trying to make clothes which going closer to my face to be brighter and cheerful colors, just to look more refreshing.

My best friends from Burberry wanted to send us blogger early gifts for Christmas so I got this jacket at my home address, which I really did not hope for because they wanted to surprise us with a gift for the holidays, and we had the opportunity to complete the outfit after with some other stuff. Since I picked out these gray pants that you see on the pictures and one sweeter orange color, I realized that I made a big contrast, so I decided to take the photos of a sweater another time, so I did not carry it on a trip to Finland.

Honestly, I was planning to shoot this outfit with one turtleneck sweater, which I bought in Zara, so I took it on the trip with me. Like everything else in my life, everything is so complicated, so I managed to burn my favourite roll neck sweater with the help of iron machine that I did not obviously knew to use it properly, because it was totally different with a bunch of options, I hoped that I managed to fit everything nicely, but the wool that sticked to the plate of the iron, so the sweater was burned there…

I was wrong, it was my favorite a piece in the wardrobe, since my skin is very sensitive to the wool, it’s easy to notice an allergic reaction on my skin somehow I succeeded with the softener after a couple of washes to make it good for my skin. Now that same sweater was destroyed, after 3 years of careful using and storage…

After half an hour of criticising myself and few chocolate bites, the photographer told me that he noticed in the past days that there was some special sale note in the window of the Zara, so we went out of the apartment without breakfast and went to Zara. There I found this sweater that fit perfectly and for 12 euros I got a new favourite fashion piece from Zara. Someone will say that the sweater may be a bit “old” for me, but I liked it at first sight and I think it can be combined easily because of these pastel colours stripes.

The last day in Helsinki ended, little Marko almost late for his flight, because the last train with which I could get on time went, luckily the tourist board had an understanding for me, so they helped me with the transport and everything was better than what I could imagine would ever be in my life. Sometimes people are needed for true happiness much less than some people think. I wanted to make nice photos, but I did not think about the time as always…

My dear ones, once again we have come to the end of this special fashion outfit post from Helsinki. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! Don’t worry in a couple of days I will publish a new post where we will continue together to enjoy the charms of traveling and soon I will start collaboration with one worldwide airline and this year will be full of adventures and excitements, so be prepared!

Last day in Helsinki was so sad because we left our Aallonkoti apartment where we had feeling like we are at our home. Thank you for having us for a wonderful week, I hope we will see again!

OUTFIT

Jacket: Burberry

Sweater: Zara

Trousers: Burberry

Boots: Makia

Camera: Sony Alpha 7r Mark II

 

At the end of the post, I would like to thank my friends from the Burberry and Makia who made my day with these nice clothes and I hope that I have succeeded to show you this elegant black combination.

How do you like this outfit? Have you prepared your closet for spring maybe? If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

As I promised we’ll see again in a couple of days, so if something new and interesting happens to me, I promise, I will write to you! Now I will leave you just to enjoy in this beautiful landscape and of course the symbol of Helsinki – Helsinki Cathedral.

Best,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Tourist Board of Helsinki – My Helsinki, Aallonkoti Hotel Apartments, Makia brand, Burberry Limited and others partners of My Helsinki organisation which kindly help this #MyHelsinkiResidence project.
For all these beautiful photos I used Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera.
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